


Different Worlds

by TheGoodDoctor



Category: Yonderland (TV)
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 17:03:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13575024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoodDoctor/pseuds/TheGoodDoctor
Summary: Debbie is beginning to think that the party had been a mistake.Honestly the fact that she’d lasted until an hour into the party before realising this was rather impressive; with hindsight, it probably should have kicked in when she first had the idea to invite some friends from Yonderland over to her side of the portal for her party.





	Different Worlds

Debbie is beginning to think that the party had been a mistake.

Honestly the fact that she’d lasted until an hour into the party before realising this was rather impressive; with hindsight, it probably should have kicked in when she first had the idea to invite some friends from Yonderland over to her side of the portal for her party, or when she actually invited them, and certainly when she was begging, borrowing and stealing clothes for them to wear.

She is wearing a slightly fixed grin, one ear on Rhona and Michelle’s conversation about the PTA bake sale next week and most of her attention on the Elders. Vex is chatting to Noah, who seems to recognise him - and Debbie is deliberately not thinking about the implications of this - whilst Ho-Tan discusses dresses with Ellen from down the road. More concerning is Flowers fidgeting in his clothes and talking to poor old Norman, who can get a bit confused, bless him, and Debbie is slightly worried about where this might go. Choop and Pressley appear deeply engaged in conversation with the various kids charging about the garden, which should be alright, unless Nancy’s awful offspring report too much to their mother, because-

“Debbie? Are you still with us?” Michelle says with a gentle smile.

She blinks. “Sorry. Yes.”

“Too many guests?” Rhona says, eyebrow raised in amusement.

Debbie nods slowly with a smile. “You could say that I was concerned about them, yes.”

Michelle pats her arm. “This is a lovely party, Debbie. I shouldn’t worry.”

“The kids seem well-behaved, at least. Those chaps are keeping them in check,” Rhona adds.

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Debbie says, watching Choop flail wildly and chase Ben around the swingset. “I think they’re just on the same wavelength, you know?”

The mums watch their kids climbing on the toys, fences and, for want of a better word when describing Choop and Pressley, adults indiscriminately. “I see that,” Rhona says. “Liam! Be careful with your new friend.”

Her son sticks his tongue out as Pressley waves a hand dismissively. “Have no fear, madam, I am made of stern stuff!” He stumbles backwards and the mothers wince, but he recovers to the great amusement of the children.

“How did you say you’d met them?” Michelle says.

“Volunteering,” Debbie says. “I help them manage a council of sorts.”

“What do they do?” Michelle asks as they watch Choop utterly fail to climb a tree.

Debbie shakes her head. “I have no idea.”

* * *

Noah points across the garden to a tall man in an apron who is prodding the barbeque doubtfully. “That’s my husband, there. Been together almost ten years now. And our daughter is - somewhere.” He looks around over the crowd of under-tens, before giving up. “What about you?”

Vex points out Ho-Tan. “There - that’s Ho-Tan. I love her,” he says matter-of-factly with a soft smile.

Noah grins. “How long?”

Vex shrugs. “Oh, feels like forever. She’s wonderful.”

“She seems it. Thinking about kids?”

“Oh, we have youngers. Two boys.”

Noah nods. “Boarding school?”

Vex doesn’t know what this means even slightly and makes a non-committal noise. Noah seems to accept this as confirmation of what he had already decided to be true, which is something Vex has noticed that people do a lot this side of the portal, because people are weird here.

He’s just getting in on this train of thought when it is swiftly derailed - Ho-Tan is laughing, and her hair is glinting in the late afternoon sun, and who can blame him for getting distracted? She’s wearing some light make-up and a sundress with big light pink flowers on it, both gifts from Debbie, and looks so comfortable and happy in both that Vex would describe her as radiant. He’s less sure about his shirt and jeans, but Ho-Tan had been very complimentary about both and then he’d felt like he was walking on air, which has made putting up with them much easier. Ho-Tan, however, looks born to wear pretty dresses and float about a garden in the summer sun.

“Mate?” Noah says, interrupting his musings. “I don’t wanna - I’m not trying to be rude, or anything, but - Ho-Tan. She’s not - I mean.” Noah lowers his voice. “She’s transgender, right?”

Vex frowns, squaring his shoulders and narrowing his eyes. Debbie had promised them that her friends wouldn’t be rude, but that if they were Vex and Ho-Tan could come straight to her. Currently Vex is feeling a little more like immediate retribution may be needed.

Noah clearly sees this and throws his hands up. “Woah, mate, not like that. I just meant - me and Dan, right, we go to this group for people like us. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to join. That’s all.”

Vex deflates from his anger pose. “Oh, right. Thank you, Noah.” He returns to watching the other party-goers.

Noah blinks at his sea change in mood, remembers that it is in no way the weirdest thing his new friend has said or done, and shakes his head.

* * *

“Alright troops,” Choop says seriously, frowning at the grinning six-year-olds also crouching behind Debbie’s overturned patio table. “Everyone armed?” The kids brandish alarmingly coloured plastic guns at him. “The plan, then, is to sneak out in a pincer movement, flanking the enemy. From there we should be able to subvert their defences and-”

Choop’s battle plans are sadly cut short by screaming and a hail of foam pellets.

“Haha!” Pressley yells, triumphant. “Now who has better strategy, _Chief?”_

“Your mum!” Choop howls back, stuffing bullets back in his nerf gun as the kids run riot, firing indiscriminately.

“Yeah! And it’s hereditary!” Pressley ducks one pellet, catching another on the cheek but bravely ignoring it for the sake of trash-talking.

“You know what else is hereditary?” Choop says, sticking his head above the parapet of the twins’ climbing frame.

Debbie clears her throat and both Elders pause under the not inconsiderable weight of her potential disapproval. They look at her, and then at each other.

“Her lovely hair,” Choop says calmly.

Pressley inclines his head graciously. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Debbie turns back to her conversation. Choop squints in the vague direction of his sights and fires an entire round at the Lord Elder. “Now die!”

* * *

“Your friend, Flowers,” Nancy says as she catches Debbie’s arm in passing.

 _Oh God,_ she thinks. “Yes?”

The other woman presses her arm in the over-familiar way that Debbie has always hated. “He’s _marvellous_.”

“Is he? I mean, he is.” Debbie tries to subtly peer around her to see what on earth he’s done now.

“Oh, yes! He was telling us all about energy, you know, and the spirit. How everything has to be in harmony, and we should all be comfortable in our own skins.” Nancy presses her hand to her sternum, nodding at Debbie, who can only smile somewhat helplessly.

“Oh, good.”

“It’s all stuff my own guru has been telling me, of course, but it was so nice to find a kindred spirit. I really feel we come from the same place, you know?” Nancy says.

Debbie finally spots Flowers, shirt unbuttoned but thankfully still on, in the middle of a circle of younger yoga-type mums. He looks somewhat out of place in her garden, but as a new wave spiritualist teacher rather than a councillor from another realm inside her kitchen cupboard.

She smiles with secret contained laughter at Nancy. “No, I think you might be from different worlds altogether.”

* * *

Evening is fast encroaching and most of the guests have gone home, carrying exhausted children who wave sleepy goodbyes to Choop and Pressley - who might be a bit emotional about that, actually. They deny it wholeheartedly, but Debbie suspects there might be some not-entirely dry eyes.

Debbie is left with her Elders and her kids - two concepts not entirely unlike each other - with a twin asleep on either side of her on the bench from which she watches Pressley and Flowers demolish any remaining food and Choop fiddling with the CD player. He makes it play, more through luck than judgement, and then sits beside Hayley and smiles at her.

“Happy Birthday, Debbie.”

“Thanks. And thanks for coming.” She grins at him and he beams back. “You did great with the kids.”

“They fought valiantly,” he says dramatically, and she giggles.

Ho-Tan and Vex are slow-dancing to whatever pop songs the twins left in the machine, which is if nothing else quite impressive. She snuggles closer into his chest and he drops a kiss on her head.

“I love you,” he says, and he can feel her smile through his shirt. “You look lovely.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she teases gently. He hums in agreement to make her laugh and she does, bright and happy.

The sight makes Debbie smile and she hugs her kids to her a bit tighter. Hayley stirs and blinks up at her. “This was a good day, Mum. Can they come over to play again soon?”

Choop and Pressley look equally hopeful and Debbie laughs. “Yes, I suspect they probably can.”

“Thanks, Mum,” she says, going back to sleep.

“Yeah, thanks Mum,” Choop and Pressley say. Debbie raises an eyebrow.

The sun sets over Selly Oak, to the laughter of the Chosen One and a chorus of “I didn’t say mum, he did. And I said mate, anyway, so-”

**Author's Note:**

> Wales is grim this time of year - this is really about my craving for summer.


End file.
